SPRINGFIELD, VT ANNUAL TOWN AND
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TOWN SCHOOL DISTRICT MEETING
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MARCH 3, 2015
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The following results do not include write-ins or voter intent
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BALLOT ITEM
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TOTAL
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TOWN MODERATOR (1) 1YR
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Patrick M. Ankuda
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1288
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SCHOOL MODERATOR (1) 1YR
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Patrick M. Ankuda
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1277
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SELECTMAN (2) 3YR
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Carol Cole
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636
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Peter E. MacGillivray
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768
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Walter E. Martone
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806
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David A. Yesman
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329
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SCHOOL DIRECTOR (2) 3YR
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Stephen Karaffa
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1010
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Laura L. Ryan
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1043
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LIBRARY TRUSTEE (2) 3YR
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Josephine Hingston
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1076
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Sandra Richardson
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1098
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TRUSTEE OF PUBLIC FUNDS (1) 3YR
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Deborah Luse
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1153
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CEMETERY COMMISSIONER (1) 5YR
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Gerald Patch
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1196
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TOWN AGENT (1) 1YR
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Stephen Ankuda
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1258
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FIRST CONSTABLE (1) 1YR
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0
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LISTER (1)3YR
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Terry Perkins
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1163
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Un-Freakin-Believable! Yup, keep raising those there taxes. Seems to be a good day for it (said in a Vermonter drawl). The sinking ship continues it's plunge into the depths of absolute no return. All that will be left is social programs and schools. Don't know who's gonna pay for those services but what the hell. Have at it. Take my house too while you're at it. The gene pool is incredibly shallow in these parts LOL
ReplyDeleteActually it is very believable. Your problem seems to be you can't accept the fact that the voters in Springfield don't share your pessimism and negativity.
DeleteMay I ask you a question 2:49 PM? First let me say it is not pessimism or negativity. It is called the true reality of those few of us taxpayers left who can not afford one more increase. If I had money coming out of my ears, or growing on my trees I would NEVER complain about budgets or money. In fact, I'd become a philanthropist and give it away. Let me spell this out for you. Last year and this year I did not get a raise (no, not a performance issue; a budgetary one). Not your problem right? Well it is a problem. Let's talk about very basic math: If I get 0% in revenue increase, I can't give you 2% in budget increase. Remember back in grade school with simple multiplication? Anything times zero equals zero. As a taxpayer, I HAVE TO live within my means. I can not overspend and expect to go to my employer and say, "Gee, I overspent so I am going to need more money. I realize times are tough and I didn't earn it, but hand it over." So before you start bloviating about how pessimistic I am, think about the impact that these decisions have on people. Yes, even us in the middle class who pay taxes out the A** worry how the next meal is getting on the table. Finally, here are my questions: Are you a person of great financial means? Do you check the box on your tax return to give more at tax time simply because you think it is the right and just thing to do? If so, I give you kudos. If not, please preach to someone else.
DeleteSpot on 3:37. You can bet that the President of the Springfield Optimists Club (2:49) does not "donate" one extra cent more that they are required to the State Treasury. That they can only see the world in terms of positive or negative says all we need to know about the power of their intellect (and their understanding of basic arithmetic)! These are the kind of people that not only are content to ride on the backs of others, but are all to happy to pick our pockets along the way. Pitiful beings, for sure!
DeleteIt's not spot on, 6:30. It is people like you who love nothing more than to stir up any controversy they can. I happen to agree with 2:49. The naysayers (like you) do nothing more than complain about town leaders without citing one example of what THEY would do to help. However, your constant griping will not deter those of us who see a different Springfield than you do. You may not have noticed but we're winning. If we weren't, both budgets would not have passed. Sorry, but your revolution has failed.
Delete@ Anon 3:25AM ~ Both budgets passed so it is what it is. No one is trying to stir up controversy. The town/school and it's leaders (for lack of a better word) do that all by themselves. We just ask questions because we see waste and mismanagement and no one likes that. We are supposed to just drink the Kool-Aid like everyone else does and just go through life believing that the municipal/state/federal government knows what is best for us and our hard-earned dollars. You Sir/Madame are an example of this phenomenon and are part of the problem. I don't know if it is a lack of white or grey brain matter on your part, but trying to explain anything rationale to you turns into you needing to be right and everyone else being wrong. Wake up! Oh, and I have reached out to our town/school officials on many occasions (soon you realize it is a waste of time and energy) without any real follow-up. I guess my tax dollars are good enough but my real-life concerns do not require a response. So you want to hear my suggestions? Here you go:
Delete1. Get the unions out of municipal government. If unions want to be in municipal government, let them negotiate with those who pay the bills (the taxpayer). You can't negotiate when there is nothing to give.
2. Cut out waste in all departments. How many times have I driven by a pot hole and watched 3-4 guys standing by said pot hole while one guy is shoveling. And how many "administrative" staff are needed for a school? And does the sidewalk plow/sander have to be plowing and sanding at 2am on Saturday night? Cha ching! Overtime and shift differential!
3. Do something to bring business back into Springfield to build the Grand List. Not pet projects that end up being not-for-profit (AKA: Edgar May Ctr). This can be achieved by offering tax incentives for a period of time while still providing a service and re-building the Grand List (rather than constantly expecting the starving taxpayer to always pick up the whole tab).
4. Level budgetary funding until the economy turns around and the Grand List builds up.
5. No raises (see #4 above).
6. Health Insurance: Bring it in line with what people in the dreaded private sector are paying.
7. Get rid of pensions. Plan for your own retirement. I do!
8. Limit vacation/personal/sick time. Use it or lose it. No buy- outs (except for vacation and personal time with an absolute cap).
9. Stop funding places like HCRS where the CEO walks away with over a half a million dollars in cash/perks.
10. Well, you get the point. I could go on and on but let's face it...no matter what suggestion/solution I offer you, you won't like it.
Lastly, if by definition a "naysayer" is someone who cares about the well-being of his/her family, and about providing nourishment and a home for them, so be it. I am a naysayer. This naysayer pays his own way and pays his "fair" share. The continued "money-throw" at failure only makes the failure a more costly one. The system needs an enormous enema. Clean out the filth and start over if you must 'cause the path we're on leads nowhere.
12:43, To be honest, I DO like some of them, although not all of them are practical or doable. At the very least, you offered IDEAS, and for that, I thank you.
DeleteEven though you believe you are right on the issues you bring up, most people won't listen to you because you bring everyone down. No one will listen to you because offer solutions in a negative light. Enjoy being a voice with potential solutions as you stand all alone.
DeleteSpringfield is changing for the better. If you can't see it, then maybe you should seriously consider moving someplace where things are more equal, where everyone gets the same salary, same health care, same home, etc. Don't be upset because others have succeeded in areas that you apparently haven't. That's not Springfield, that's America.
Springfield is changing for the better as long as you apply whatever bogus "filter" 4:31 is using to grossly skew the data! Of course, when you've hit rock bottom and been there for so long, I guess it's easy to delude yourself into believing things are changing for the better because fooling yourself is preferable to confronting the failed reality!
DeleteAnd what exactly is "confronting failed reality"? Once you confront failure it must mean to you that you give up. I say you should then give up and move on. The ones who thrive and survive will be the ones to enjoy the benefits. Please move on and find a place to "confront success"??
DeleteThat is such a typical white trash, closed minded response and the exact issue springfield has. OH MOVE ON, GET OUT FLATLANDER, blah blah blah. Well how about this? You have a bad attitude and it is comments and attitudes like yours that make ANYONE with an education NOT move to Springfield. In my 10 years there I have heard that so many times and know a dozen families that did just that..and they took their money and moved. NOW LOOK WHAT YOU ARE LEFT WITH. You know what grow up and learn that the world is not flat and it extends far beyond crummy old Vermont borders and what is out there is beautiful and productive. Im not sure what it is you people are scared of but how bout you jump into the 21st century and stop thinking you are living in the 1950's cause ya know what? The only people you are hurting is yourself and your children. Life goes on and people move on EXCEPT you of course and life is very exciting and profitable and normal on the outside so take a trip and learn a little something before you start with that crap of move ot, be gone, flatlander blah blah blah.
Delete3:37: How do you know you didn't get a raise because it was a budgetary issue? Are you the bookkeeper?
ReplyDelete@ Anon 9:40pm - Nope, not the bookkeeper but work very closely with the CEO. Any other questions? And thank you Anon 6:30pm.
ReplyDeletei wonder how many of the voters actually pay the full tax bill on their resident,meaning people who own their own home gets a tax bill in the mail and has to take the money out of their pocket to pay it,i realize that people who pay rent,pay part of the building's taxes,but it's no where as much as a homeowner,so a lot of renters don't care what the budgets are,they get services that they don't have to pay top dollar for and it cost them nearly nothing
ReplyDeleteI am begging you to please get a space bar and period on your keyboard.
DeleteMost of the "yes" votes are subsidy recipients of some form. The others either lack the mobility to depart a failing town or are the aging clingers-on to the town's former reputation as a center of precision manufacturing. To these folks, hope IS a method, but that "method" is an unequivocal failure. Yet they persist in voting yes because they perceive it as their only "hope".
Delete12:43, A family of three— two parents and a child, or two children and one parent— needs from $32,900 to $45,800 to stay afloat in Springfield these days. Back in your day, that would have been from $22,000 to $29,000. Could you advise the 50% of Springfield households that make less than $35,000 today how to plan for retirement? How did you plan for retirement when you were making $22,000- $29,000 back then? They could use the tips!
ReplyDeleteThe advice is simple: work harder! Work harder at your job to advance. Work harder to grow your skill sets and to educate yourself. Work harder to be a better parent and family planner. Work harder to live within a budget and invest for your retirement. Work harder to seek new opportunities for career growth, either in or out of Springfield. Work harder to associate with positive people. Work harder to be a respectable citizen. Work harder to practice your faith. And finally, work harder to avoid the snivel and drivel that Chuck Gregory will spew at you about how tough you have it and how you need the nanny state minions like him to administer elaborate ruses to drive you toward becoming part of the legion of oppressed wards of the government. Just because Chuck "Failed to Launch" doesn't mean that you can't achieve tremendous success in this world!
DeleteSo, if I work harder and get three part-time jobs, I can gross $45,000 for only 90 hours of work a week! Thanks!! Now, how do I set some aside for retirement without having Wall Street rip off 25% to 50% of it?
DeleteIf that is all you can make with three jobs, then you need to make better life choices...
DeleteAnd how does one learn to make better choices?
DeleteHere is the problem plain and simple. You have a town full of people. Half to three quarters work for the town and school system. THAT was your voting pool. You have a third who are welfare recipients who don't know what to vote and don't care because they DONT PAY TAXES and then you have the few who actually work outside jobs and pay taxes. There ya go. Everyone has their head in lala land with this unobtainable belief that they are going to transform "Springfield back to what it was in it's heyday" which always makes me laugh. Unfortunately they have no idea how to do that because they don't want to make any changes to anything and all the folks working for the town and schools are afraid they might have to cut back. Springfield has more property on the market than most towns in Vermont. EVERYONE is moving out. What does that leave you? HMMM a group of drug users and renters who don't pay taxes. I will go further..you voted to create a fund to demolish derelict properties. OK...however the easy answer was let's fund it with taxpayer money. NOBODY explored any other way to fund it. And then you have an official reponse of-"If we took money out from the bank in loan form it creates a great deal of paperwork for us" Well, it also puts the town on the hook for the money that already has or will be used. You see that money WILL NOT AND HAS NOT been recouped. Do you really think someone who has the money to build a house is going to snap up a lot in a crappy neighborhood. Hell no, if they have the money to build a house they are going to want some land outside city limits. You have no backup plan and now you have no tax money. Just property. The idea was good but as par usual the follow through plan sucks. If the town receives property due to lack of taxes and takes ownership of it then they should have had developers lined up to deed that land to who will develop it and build housing. OR it could be donated to habitat for humanity with a comprehensive plan of utilizing RVTC students to assist in building a home. YES those home go to lower income individuals BUT they will pay property tax on a home...SEE MY POINT. So the town recoups the money spent in tax revenue. Instead we have no plan just more money coming out of the honest taxpayer pocket which irritates us and we decide to sell and move. It is a cycle that wont be broken until we have a group running the town that have common sense and business sense and experience outside Vermont. Now- The schools..same mess same drama different day. The budget went up because of a lot of bills they had to pay. They had to pay for educational training because they were found to not be in compliance with the Federal Dept. Of Education, they settled a lawsuit which Im sure resulted in an increase in their insurance rates. Then there are the raises that they give and retirement. The unnecessary health insurance costs etc. I do believe that the school could be on a better road BUT they have to learn to cut back and push through the hard times to get to the other side and NONE of the staff are willing to do that.
ReplyDeleteso around 1300 people voted on the town budget out of a town of almost 9000 people?? looks like a lot of people don't care or just bitch and don't vote...
ReplyDelete